Do You Know The Correct Way Of Sneezing? Find Out Now!

A sneeze is simply the body expelling germs and bacteria through the nose and mouth in an explosive outflow of air. As you know from experience, it is an involuntary action that arises suddenly and comes crashing out and there’s not much you can do about it. Yet another impulse that goes hand in hand with a sneeze is the urge to cover your mouth with your hand.

This is because you are responding to conditioning. Covering your mouth when you sneeze is considered a basic sneezing etiquette that was drilled into our minds as early as our childhood. The apparent logic is, this way you will prevent the germs from spreading. 

But, now we are here to tell you that people have got it all wrong! You haven’t been sneezing the right way all this time. This is because when you sneeze into your hands you are not doing the world any service. The bacteria or germs linger in your hands and when you touch a doorknob, shake hands with someone or grasp a bus handrail, you will leave a trail of contamination behind you that has the prospect of making many more people sick.

You might be wondering, should you just forsake all etiquette and not cover your mouth at all? No, in fact, there are alternatives.

First of all, you can sneeze into a tissue and dispose it off. Since we don’t always carry tissues with us or sometimes it's not possible to draw one out in time, you can sneeze into your sleeve or into the crook of your arm. You will, of course, need to wash your clothing later.

And it's not just us dispensing this advice, but the CDC (Centre of Disease Control and Prevention) too issued a similar suggestion fifteen years ago.

Many people try to sneeze with their mouths closed. While that does prevent the contaminants from escaping into the air, doctors advise against it. This is because it could lead to complications such as hearing loss, development of clots in blood vessels, or ruptures to your throat muscles. But don’t be alarmed when a sneeze just dissipates. It's quite normal and happens when the irritant is removed and the body does not have to expel it through a sneeze.

A sneezing etiquette should not just be about the aesthetics but it ought to teach people to be more responsible. If you follow these sensible guidelines, you can actually ensure that you do not pass on the bacteria to others.